Beastmaster King

A beastmaster once known by the ID Treefolk said that there were two ultimate joys in the life of a beastmaster. First was the evolution of a familiar, and second was the reward phase of clearing a secret realm.

The evolution of a familiar marked the beginning of new talents for the familiar. The thrill, similar to opening a lottery jackpot, was intoxicating.

The reward phase after clearing a secret realm, especially an unknown one, delivered a comparable rush. Tackling known secret realms with predetermined rewards may have lacked this exhilarating surprise, but clearing ascension realms or unknown ones with unpredictable rewards offered unparalleled excitement.

At this moment, Lu Ran was incredibly exhilarated. Clearing a Legendary Secret Realm solo and pioneering its completion yielded rewards that certainly did not disappoint. The 1 million crystal coins he received were straightforward, serving as hard currency, so he decided to set them aside for now.

Instead, he decided to focus on the upgrade cards. He had gained a total of 100 of them. The cost of upgrading contract cards scaled exponentially. It went from one upgrade card to ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, and so on. As it stood, both Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King had already undergone two upgrades to their contract cards.

These 100 cards were just enough to facilitate the third upgrade for one of their contract cards, allowing it to unlock a new effect. The first upgrade of a contract card introduced the Physical Recovery ability, the second upgrade added Slow Regeneration, and the third upgrade would unlock Growth Acceleration.

This effect essentially allowed a familiar to train itself passively and grow faster, similar to idle cultivation. At this moment, Lu Ran thought that if he wanted to accelerate one of his familiars to reach level 30 more quickly, upgrading their contract card would be the ideal choice.

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Lu Ran then turned his attention to the dragon heart, the Stone Dragon egg, and the Dragon King Bloodline Trait.

A peculiar expression crossed his face. The dragon heart, imbued with the essence of the Diamond Dragon, held the rare potential to transform a dragon subspecies into a true dragonkin.

Meanwhile, the Dragon King Bloodline was even more extraordinary. The title of Dragon King was typically reserved for Superior-Overlord Species dragons with immense power. This draconic trait was nothing short of absurdly potent.

It was worth noting that most common draconic traits merely granted familiars standard dragon characteristics or an ordinary dragon lineage.

However, the Dragon King Trait stood in a league of its own, directly endowing the recipient with the potential to ascend to the pinnacle of dragon evolution.

Prior to this, Lu Ran had never encountered such a trait. It was likely an exclusive reward tied to this particular Legendary Secret Realm, a one-of-a-kind resource on the Blue Planet. This trait presumably reflected the latent potential of the Diamond Dragon itself.

The Diamond Dragon, after all, was mutated from a Stone Dragon, a dragon subspecies. However, according to Dean Kong’s research, the Diamond Dragon was merely at the first stage of its mutation. It had the potential to undergo a further evolution, ultimately becoming a Diamond Dragon King.

This evolutionary process was what solidified the reputation of a certain Legendary beastmaster in the past. Lu Ran felt that the three resources provided by Limitless City could effectively recreate a second Diamond Dragon King.

He could hatch the Stone Dragon Egg, shower it in the Dragon Blood, and then feed it the dragon heart to induce a mutation, transforming it into a Diamond Dragon. After that, he could merge it with the Dragon King Bloodline Trait, granting it the potential of a Dragon King. With this, it might someday evolve into a Diamond Dragon King.

“Now it makes sense why every time someone clears a Legendary Secret Realm, Limitless City announces that they have opened the path of Legendary.

“The rewards are so rich because they are designed to nurture Legendary beastmasters. If a beastmaster possesses a familiar with the potential to become a Diamond Dragon King, they would find it hard not to succeed.

“But unfortunately, I’m someone who embraces rebellion,” Lu Ran said to himself.

The dragon heart and Dragon King Trait were resources meant to amplify Sudden Death King!

The role of the Diamond Dragon, as a frontline tank, would overlap with that of Sudden Death King’s role.

Having multiple familiars sharing the same role, both with Dragon attributes, was redundant in his eyes. Thus, Lu Ran had no intention of forsaking Sudden Death King. Consequently, the Stone Dragon Egg became dispensable.

Lu Ran had multiple King Species familiar eggs. One of them was highly likely to be an elemental familiar, a species of extraordinary rarity. Only a handful existed across the entirety of the Blue Planet. Lu Ran certainly had no intention of giving it up.

Additionally, there was also Dark Crow, which was still waiting in line for a contract. Its curse abilities were quite intriguing, so Lu Ran had no plans to forgo it either.

Although he felt a deep sense of regret for having to part with a King Species Stone Dragon egg, Lu Ran had no choice but to allocate the dragon heart and Dragon King Trait to Sudden Death King. As for the Stone Dragon egg, he would either sell it or give it to someone else, entrusting its cultivation to others.

Lastly, there was the beastmaster skill, Damage Transfer, which allowed a Beastmaster to transfer damage received to their familiar. This was the first time Lu Ran had ever heard of this skill. It seemed to be making its debut as a beastmaster skill.

This skill was likely incredibly appealing to beastmasters specializing in combat. Faced with this skill, Lu Ran felt conflicted. He sensed that the skill didn’t align with his personal preferences.

However, his rational side told him that this skill was indeed quite useful and could be used to greatly enhance the survival capabilities of a beastmaster. For instance, if curses were considered damage, then Principal Shi Zhen might have been able to transfer the curse to a familiar that didn’t particularly care about its gender. Of course, Lu Ran felt that this would require some development.

“Simply transferring damage sustained by the beastmaster to a designated familiar seems too limited in application. But if this skill could be developed further to transfer damage sustained by one contracted familiar to another contracted familiar...

“For example, transferring damage sustained by Captain Doofus to Sudden Death King who had a stronger defense, then this skill would be a God-tier ability.

“Alternatively, if damage sustained by Sudden Death King could be transferred to a non-contracted familiar, or even to an enemy, it would also be a God-tier ability. I wonder if this skill can be developed in such a way...? Forget it, I’ll just hold on to it for now.”

Lu Ran was very satisfied with his haul. Through psychic communication, he conveyed his findings to Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King. Beside him, Captain Doofus who had been eagerly waiting with its tongue sticking out, listened and displayed a disappointed expression.

“Woof! (None of this is useful for me.)”

However, it quickly regained its energy.

Wait, never mind.

Having consumed 20 slices of Treasure-grade meat, and now with the swordgrass, Captain Doofus already felt quite content.

All of this stuff... Let’s just use it to boost Sudden Death King’s defense.

“Rawr!!!”

Beside it, Sudden Death King was so moved it was nearly in tears. It started to feel that the past month of beatings hadn’t been in vain.

Big Brother Diamond Dragon, you can rest in peace now... Your strength and intent shall be inherited by me!

“You’ve got your level 30 evolution resources, a dragon heart, and the Dragon King Bloodline. If you can’t evolve into a dragon with this, we might as well all face sudden death together,” Lu Ran said, now fully confident that Sudden Death King would successfully transform into a dragon at level 30.

And not just any dragon. It would at least be comparable to a Superior King like the Diamond Dragon, possessing the potential of becoming a Dragon King! However, this left him needing a new experimental subject.

The resources given to Sudden Death King were so incredibly lavish that its evolution path couldn’t serve as a reference point at all.

Even if he were to use these resources on a husky, it might just end up evolving into a true dragon. The resources are just too good. Using these won’t allow me to showcase the effects of the Dragon Chef ability at all.

He realized he needed to use repetitive resources, such as Dragonborn Traits or Mutant Dragonfish Meat, to evolve a dragon. Only then could he prove the power of a Dragon Chef. *** Lu Ran’s message box was getting spammed with congratulations from various people.

For most of them, Lu Ran sent a simple “Thanks” before closing the chats. Only one message caught his attention: Dr. Gu’s congratulatory message. After a moment of thought, he sent a message back.

[Dr. Gu, I’ve got a Low-King Species Stone Dragon egg here. Are you interested? I also have some dragon blood that could potentially mutate it.]

Most of the first generation’s familiars originated from the Blue Planet’s evolving and breeding fauna. Obtaining familiar eggs with an innate King Species rank from the Stellar Moon Continent was an extremely tempting prospect for first-generation beastmasters.

The unique familiar egg awarded during the freshman competition had been highly sought after by many first-generation beastmasters as well. However, the chairman had neither chosen to contract it nor give it to another member of the first generation. He instead decided to award it as an investment to the fourth-generation beastmaster who came out on top.

That familiar egg would prove to be exceptional. A first-generation beastmaster in England had obtained a similar familiar egg and hatched an Intermediate-King Species elemental being.

That elemental familiar was later contracted by the royal princess who used it to successfully lead her team through a level 1 Legendary Secret Realm, proving its incredible power.

As for this Stone Dragon Egg, Lu Ran felt that since Dr. Gu had helped him so much, this Low-King Species familiar could be a great addition to her collection if she was interested. Perhaps it could even strengthen Dr. Gu’s abilities further.

Soon enough, Dr. Gu replied.

[Thanks :), but I don’t currently have the bandwidth to raise a new familiar, and I already have plans for my next one.]

“Oh...”

Lu Ran hadn’t expected Dr. Gu to decline.

In that case, I'd better just sell it then.

Aside from Dr. Gu, Lu Ran also considered Fang Lan. However, she had already reserved her third familiar to be a Champion Species familiar awarded from the freshman competition. It was custom-designed to be a Poison-attribute familiar.

Since she planned to focus on poison as her specialty, the Stone Dragon obviously didn’t suit her as well.

Though resources could theoretically awaken Poison-attribute traits in the Stone Dragon, the issue of compatibility arose. Adding incompatible attributes would greatly diminish the Stone Dragon’s potential. It would be better to save this opportunity for a better match in the future.

After much thought, Lu Ran decided that the Stone Dragon Egg could be exchanged for resources resembling or even approaching the Dragon King’s unique traits.

With that decided, Lu Ran returned to the Blue Planet. In his dormitory, as expected, Manager Ying was waiting outside his door. Upon seeing Lu Ran step out, it started to smirked.

“Pedestrian A—Destroyer of the Golden Era, huh? Not bad at all.”

“Haha, is that what people are calling me online?”

“It’s a well-deserved reputation,” Manager Ying replied.

“Even when compared to the early years of some legendary beastmasters from the Stellar Moon Continent, your achievements are still remarkable.”

“I’m doing alright, but there’s still room for improvement,” Lu Ran said modestly, rubbing his nose.

“I was actually looking for you, Manager Ying.

“Among my rewards was a Low-King Species familiar egg. Inside it is the precursor to the Diamond Dragon, known as the Stone Dragon. I also have a tank of dragon blood that could potentially mutate it into a Diamond Dragon.

“If you combine the two, there’s a significant chance of recreating a familiar comparable to the Diamond Dragon from the Legendary Secret Realm!”

Lu Ran was spewing nonsense at this point.

If one were to use the dragon heart combined with the Dragon King Trait, recreating a Diamond Dragon might be feasible. But with just the Stone Dragon egg and common-tier dragon blood, the probability wasn’t as high.

However, when selling something, one had to always play up its rarity. Even if the probability was small, the possibility still existed.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll hand over the Stone Dragon egg and dragon blood to you. You help me acquire the resources I need, and as the middleman, you can earn the markup.”

“Stone Dragon egg?”

Manager Ying was startled, surprised to hear that such a treasure was among the rewards.

Goodness, is this the privilege of solo-clearing a Legendary Secret Realm?

An egg of a King Species familiar—that’s the kind of prize that even top first-generation beastmasters would want. It was practically the best candidate for a new familiar! Limitless City had directly turned the Legendary Secret Realm boss into a reward!

“So this counts as an intel commission?”

“Pretty much.”

Manager Ying was contemplating about the deal. For itself, there was no real need for the Stone Dragon egg or the Diamond Dragon blood. However, a familiar egg like this, combined with the accompanying mutation resources, would undoubtedly drive most beastmasters crazy.

The words “diamond” and “dragon” alone held immense appeal, the former deeply beloved by female beastmasters, and the latter an irresistible draw for all genders.

“What do you want in return?” Manager Ying asked.

“Do you still need resources?”

“This is about planning ahead for the level 30 evolution. Soon, I’ll be heading into an ascension realm. Once I complete it, both Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King will likely approach the level 30 threshold, allowing them to fuse new traits.

“I already have plans for Sudden Death King’s traits. But as for Captain Doofus’, I still haven’t found a suitable option. None of the repetitive traits available on the market are satisfactory to me.

“That’s why I’m asking you to look into this. If there are any unique and powerful traits, especially those obtained from ascension realms, public realms, or even Legendary Secret Realms cleared by overseas teams, that might suit it.”

“So that’s why.” Manager Ying nodded.

Now that it thought about it, Legendary Secret Realms did seem to yield plenty of one-of-a-kind resources. However, these resources weren’t always useful to their original challengers. In such cases, the challengers often sold or traded them to obtain what they needed instead.

Lu Ran’s idea was to have Manager Ying investigate whether any foreign beastmasters who had cleared Unique secret realms had any rare traits suitable for Captain Doofus.

“The chances aren’t great,” Manager Ying remarked.

“Besides, letting a King Species familiar egg fall into foreign hands... Even if it meant acquiring unique traits, it would still feel like we were giving them a bargain.

“Nonetheless, I’ll help you investigate. At the same time, I’ll keep an eye on the domestic scene. There should also be plenty of unique items in the hands of first-generation beastmasters. Plus, it’s possible they’ll clear new Legendary Secret Realms soon, obtaining new resources.

“And now that you’ve cleared a Legendary Secret Realm, the top fourth-generation beastmasters are likely to start assembling teams to take on new Legendary Secret Realms. Since you’re not in a hurry, why not wait and see?”

“It’s fine,” Lu Ran replied.

“Worse comes to worst, when I choose a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm, I’ll look at multiple nations, apply for an exchange challenge, and pick a Legendary Secret Realm that seems suitable for Captain Doofus. Who knows? I might even find traits myself that way.”

Manager Ying’s mouth twitched.

You really don’t treat Legendary Secret Realms as a big deal, do you?

“In any case, just keep an eye out for me for resources. For example, legion-type traits, curse-type traits, or traits with reversal effects...”

It was obvious that Lu Ran was already planning ahead for Dark Crow.

“Anyway, I’ll leave the Stone Dragon Egg to you. You can make a small profit, but don’t let me suffer too much. I still need you to secure some resources for me. After all, this is a King Species egg, you know!” Lu Ran said, pretending to feel hurt.

“For cultivating that crow?”

With Manager Ying’s information network, it naturally knew about Lu Ran’s Dark Crow. After a moment of thought, it replied.

“Don’t worry. Our Cat Maid Cafe has a spotless reputation. By the way, speaking of that crow, I happen to know of a very suitable Unique trait for it. Its value might even rival that of your egg, or at least it won’t fall too far behind!”